Tundratown Elegy
by Dancou-Maryuu
Summary: Before she is formally reinstated to the ZPD, Judy decides to settle her accounts with Mr. Big.


_Judy kept running, tommy-gun in her hands. She made a dash through dank, smelly alleyways._

 _No good. This alley was a dead end. She snarled, and turned to face the police car that was pursuing her._

 _"It's no good, Hopps!" Chief Bogo's voice roared. "Come quietly and we can put an end to this!"_

 _"You'll never take me alive!" the gangster rabbit shrilled, and she opened fire with her tommy-gun. The ZPD officers took cover behind the car doors, waiting for Judy to stop firing before poking their heads back out, firing their weapons at her._

 _The last thing Judy felt before passing out was the bullets ripping through her body when-_

* * *

Judy awoke with a start. She'd had that nightmare several times now.

 _No_ , she reminded herself. Her association with Fru-Fru did _not_ make her a gangster. She had never taken a bribe from Mr. Big, nor had she looked the other way at his activities.

Now she was only a few days from formally being reinstated into the police. She'd have to make things right before then.

All of a sudden, Judy's phone rang.

"Hello?" she responded.

 _"Oh, hi!"_ the voice on the other end responded, _"I just thought I'd call and let y'know that I know what you're trying to do with that recording! Did you_ really _think that'd be enough?"_

Judy's blood ran cold. How did they know?! "Wh-what do you want?!"

 _"Oh, not much. Come see me and we can talk about it. I've got something to show you!"_

* * *

Alphonse Shrewleone – better known as "Mr. Big" – was reclining in his chair as always when the little grey rabbit entered his parlor.

"How nice of you to join us, Judith…" The tiny arctic shrew gave an affable gesture with his cigar. Cop or not, his beloved daughter had asked her to be godmother to his granddaughter. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"C-could we have the room to ourselves?" Judy glanced around at the polar bears surrounding her.

"Is this a sensitive matter?" the shrew raised a bushy eyebrow.

"I'd say it is."

Mr. Big gestured with his cigar, and all but the largest of the polar bear attendants quietly departed the room.

Judy glanced up at the enormous bear that stood behind Mr. Big's desk.

"Just you and me, please?" she said, meekly.

"Koslov attends to my personal affairs," Mr. Big explained. "You may speak freely in front of him. Now, let's make this quick. My Fru-Fru gave birth yesterday, and I'm rather keen to get business out of the way so I can spend more time with my new granddaughter – your goddaughter."

"I know, sir." Judy nodded. "I just came from the hospital. I'm very happy for Fru-Fru."

Judy took a deep breath in. "I'll come to the point. In three days, I'll formally rejoin the ZPD. I know you've broken the law in the past. Sooner or later, our lines of work are going to pit us against each other. I want you to know whose side I'll be on when that time comes."

Mr. Big raised an eyebrow. "And that side would be…?"

"The law, sir." Judy hoped that her nose wasn't twitching. The slightest hint of fear could send these negotiations crashing down. "I want to be a cop – a _good_ cop. I wasn't given any reason to go after you during the Night Howler Case, but if I have to, I won't be bought, I won't be intimidated. I _will_ bring you in."

A deep growling sound came from Koslov. Mr. Big held up his hand and the growling stopped. "That's where you stand then, is it?"

"Yes, sir." Judy nodded, careful to keep looking Mr. Big in the eye. One convenient fact about this room was that Mr. Big's desk made him eye level with her. "I know how insensitive it sounds, but as a police officer, I can't show favor to anyone – not even Fru-Fru."

"I see…" Mr. Big sighed and shook his head. "Then we have reached an impasse. I was under the impression that you were on good terms with my daughter…"

"I am." Judy's heart raced. Don't show fear. Don't show fear! "Which is why I don't want to go after you or her, but I will if I have to."

Mr. Big took a long puff of his cigar. "Then what do you suggest I do?"

Judy took a deep breath in. "That you back down now. I want you and your daughter to go straight – starting today."

Judy kept staring at Mr. Big, who returned the look without the slightest hint of fear. Judy was tempted to gaze upward to gauge Koslov's reaction, but decided against it. If she wanted to make Mr. Big agree to her demands, she had to put herself on equal footing with him.

Eventually, Mr. Big broke the silence. "Judith…" he sighed. "Do you realize that abandoning my current… line of work would require tearing up foundations that were set longer ago than either of us can remember?"

"I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I'm asking you to try." Judy's voice was resolute.

"My child…" Mr. Big shook his head. "I don't think you understand what you're asking of me. You see, this is _Tundratown_."

Judy's nose wiggled. "…So?"

"So, you probably know that when the Climate Wall was first built, Tundratown was its own city, right?"

"Right. I knew that."

"So, while the wall was a marvel of engineering, the Tundratown government were in over their heads when they built it. While all us cold-climate species got a home, it left Tundratown City Hall deeply, _deeply_ in debt. They could hardly afford to keep the streetlights on. It was chaos."

Mr. Big glanced over to the portrait of the elderly shrew woman hanging over the fireplace.

"I was born shortly before the merger with Zootopia, so I can't remember what it was like before then, but Gran-mama was only too happy to give me the details. She told me it was like a warzone – even the meekest of prey species carried shivs to work. Like I said, evolved or not – we're still animals. We all react to fear – you saw that yourself when the Savage Predator scandal broke."

Judy instinctively broke eye contact at last to study the floor. No doubt Mr. Big hadn't forgotten the rabbit's role in that affair.

"So when the emaciated government couldn't do its job, it took a strong, unifying influence to keep the peace," Mr. Big continued, throwing his arms wide open. "That's where _we_ came in.

"At first, us shrews were laughed off, but what we lacked in strength, we made up for in numbers – and sheer tenacity. Carmine Shrewleone, my great-grandfather, demonstrated how unwise it is to corner an arctic shrew.

"Once we had established ourselves by force, we began establishing ourselves with other means. The reason there is a Shrewleone Avenue way out in Tundratown North is because my family helped build that neighborhood. Many of the schools in Tundratown were built with the family's backing. There are businesses all around the Borough and beyond that have relied on us – even now, long after the merger. Take that fox friend of yours for instance."

"Nick?!" Judy gasped.

"Did Nicky ever tell you about his father?" The shrew leaned forward in his chair. "About how he wanted to open a tailor shop that catered to all Zootopians? How no bank wanted to give him a loan because he was a fox? Nicky doesn't talk much about his father, but I think he knows that 'Suit-opia' only came into being because of me and Gran-mama."

Judy gaped. Nick had mentioned that he'd originally gone to Mr. Big during a period of homelessness. She'd wondered why Nick had decided to trust the mob boss.

Mr. Big sighed and eyed the floor. "Now, there are forces at work in Tundratown – forces that care less about building bridges and more about burning 'em – even the bridges they're standing on. Do you know about Antonin Medvedev?"

"A little…" It was a name that had come up once or twice when Judy had gone to learn more about Mr. Big and his activities.

"Antonin Medvedev used to work for me," the shrew continued. "But I had to let him go because he couldn't understand the value of connections – no matter how much I tried to pound it into 'im. He doesn't believe in reciprocity – only violence. Not even common sense can restrain that bear. He's a danger to himself and everyone around him – and he's only growing more powerful lately.

"There are now many, many predators who feel wronged by the city after what Bellwether did to 'em. While you were off in the Burrows, my child, many predators were coming to me for help. Would you rather they go to Medvedev instead?"

Judy was cowed. This she had not expected.

Mr. Big reclined in his chair. " _Now_ do you understand what you're asking me to do?"

Judy stared, slack-jawed.

An interminable silence hung over the room.

"I think I understand…" Judy said at last, "But it's not impossible for you to go straight now. You don't have to lose your influence. You only have to… to _redirect_ it. You could still do a lot of good for Tundratown – help the community move forward _without_ breaking the law!"

Judy extended her hands outwards. "And if what you're saying is true, the ZPD has a stake in this too. If Medvedev's that big of a threat, you could help us put him behind bars. You could help _us_ help _you_ help Tundratown!"

Mr. Big sighed. "Your intentions are noble, but naïve. I just can't do what you ask. If our paths _do_ conflict, I may have to take drastic measures. You understand, don't you?"

Judy took in another deep breath and pulled out her phone. "In that case, I think you should listen to this."

The rabbit held out her phone and began to play a recording.

The first voice was that of a nervous-sounding mustelid. _"Hey, wh-wh-what's 'dis?!"_

Then came Judy's voice, sounding chipper. _"Duke Weaselton, Mr. Big. Mr. Big, Duke Weaselton."_

Duke Weaselton's voice croaked. _"M-M-Mr. Big, sir! Heh-heh! Yer lookin' good!"_

Then came Mr. Big's voice. _"I understand you nearly flattened my daughter with a giant doughnut a few months ago…"_

Weaselton stammered. _"N-n-n-now, Mr. Big! I didn't mean nothin' by-"_

Mr. Big again. _"And now I hear you've been a little…_ reluctant _to assist Miss Hopps here in her inquiries. If you were to assist her, I might consider lifting that debt from you."_

Weaselton. _"C-c'mon, Mr. Big! She's a cop! You know how these things go! I can't just-"_

Mr. Big. _"Ice 'im!"_

The sound of the ice chamber under the floor being opened filled the recording.

Weaselton screamed for a brief moment. _"You dirty rat! Why're you helpin' her?! She's a_ cop _!"_

Mr. Big again. _"And the godmother to my future granddaughter."_

Then came Fru-Fru's voice. _"I'm gonna name 'er Judy!"_

Judy audibly swooned in the recording as Mr. Big repeated the order to 'ice' Weaselton.

The weasel protested. _"_ Ahh! _Alright! I'll talk! I'll talk!"_

Judy cut off the recording there and turned her attention back to Mr. Big. "I have you on recording threatening bodily harm to a citizen. With the push of a button, I could send this recording to Chief Bogo, the D.A., _and_ the media if you or any of your associates so much as gets a parking ticket. You _could_ try and kill me, but there are copies of this recording hidden all over town. I have things set up so that if anything untoward were to happen to me, Nick, or Weaselton, that recording goes to Bogo anyway."

For once, Mr. Big seemed to have been caught off guard, gaping for a second. Koslov stared down at the rabbit, lips curling to reveal his razor-sharp teeth.

Judy continued. "I also want you to consider any debts or favors Nick and I owe you repaid."

However, Mr. Big regained his composure quickly. "Did Wilde put you up to this?"

"Nick doesn't know I'm here," said Judy. "It was my decision to take Weaselton to you. I should own up to it."

"My dear, I hope you realize that if that went to the authorities, you could be found guilty of aiding and abetting me."

"That's a price I'm willing to pay." Judy said without hesitation, purple eyes seeming to bore a hole in the shrew where he sat.

"You've forgotten, my child, that you stand to lose more from that recording than I do." All traces of charm had faded from Mr. Big's voice. "I have sufficient legal resources that could talk me into getting a reduced sentence, and unlike you, I have been jailed before. As a cop, your reputation would take the brunt of the scandal. The integrity of the entire ZPD would be called into question. Would you really risk that?"

Judy was cowed for a second, then pulled herself back up to her full height. "Would you risk everyone finding out about Moss Road?"

Koslov inhaled sharply. Mr. Big lay still for a moment. Then his massive eyebrows slowly rose up, revealing his eyes for all to see. "…What did you say?"

"I only know the name Moss Road," said Judy. "But I have an informant who's willing to tell the police and the media everything about what happened there if things don't work out here."

"Who is this informant?!" Mr. Big snapped, in spite of himself.

"Someone you'll never be able to harm," Judy said firmly, brows furrowed. "I know that for sure."

Mr. Big's eyebrows slowly descended. Now the shrew seemed almost frail, like he actually _were_ nothing more than a tiny rodent. "Can I consider this?"

Judy sighed. "I'll give you twenty-four hours. No longer."

The rabbit turned and began to leave the room, leaving a stunned shrew and polar bear in her wake.


End file.
